Lead is one of the most durable metals that is used in building, historically showing that it can perform satisfactorily for up to a few hundred years. It is a soft, heavy, metal which is extremely resilient and malleable. These characteristics make it ideal for widespread external use in construction, especially where it is necessary to keep out rainwater at the complex junctions between building details that would otherwise prove difficult to be kept weather-tight. In addition to performing an exceptional range of functional requirements, its malleable qualities have also made it possible to readily work the material into architectural features such as scalloped detailing, raised bosses and ball finial decorations.